Sally Wingert plays the matriarch of a multi-generational family in this farcical world premiere about the pursuit of the American dream. As hardworking parents lavish their children with material love and leave them with nothing to work for, the play dissects how our aspirations can inspire us yet lead us off course.

"... So the ingredients of a classic comedy are there, but a key ingredient is missing. In the deft 1936 classic, "You Can't Take it With You," daughter Alice at once laments and defends her eccentric family: "I know they do rather strange things," she says. "But they're gay and they're fun and there's a kind of nobility about them." But in "Crashing the Party," the situations are coarse-ground and the characters are all so narcissistic that, although they utter funny lines, there's no one to root for and no one that earns your sympathy."Read Full Review

Dominic P. Papatola

How Was The Show - Somewhat Recommended

"... Part of my problem is that I expect more substance from Mixed Blood. When I compare this play to the intense Agnes Under The Big Top or to the passionate disability triptych produced a few months ago, I find myself sorely disappointed. Were I seeing this piece at Old Log or Chanhassen, I might be more positive. Still, it is well done and if nicely directed but unchallenging plays are your cup o’ tea, well, Crashing The Party might very well work for you."Read Full Review

John Olive

Aisle Say Twin Cities - Somewhat Recommended

"...In its world premiere at the Mixed Blood Theatre, Crashing the Party approaches this question with a comic sensibility that blends the conventionality of a sitcom with the unpredictability of a sketch. Unfortunately, while this blend results in a show that is at times laugh-out-loud funny, the mix of styles also contributes to the muddled take the play offers on its timely themes of inherited wealth and corporate greed."Read Full Review